Dear Colleague,

As you are a past user of the DL_MESO mesoscale simulation package I am sending 
you this email to announce the release of version 2.5 of DL_MESO. The new 
version contains a Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) code written in Fortran90 
and a Lattice Boltzmann Equation (LBE) code written in C++. Both codes can be 
run either in serial or in parallel using MPI. An optional GUI written in Java 
is also supplied.

New features in the DPD code compared with DL_MESO 2.4 include a new human-
readable DL_POLY-like format for input files, frozen particles (including setups 
of walls made of frozen particles), Lees-Edwards shearing, multiple interaction 
potential types in a single simulation, simulations of large systems by 
duplicating initial configuration files, dynamic arrays to allow simulations of 
varying sizes without modifying and recompiling the code, various bug fixes and 
efficiency improvements. A utility is also available to convert pre-existing 
input files into the new format.

New features in the LBE code compared with DL_MESO 2.4 include additional 
mesophase interaction algorithms - Shan/Chen with solid-fluid wetting and the 
Lishchuk chromodynamic method with continuum-based interfacial tensions for 
systems dominated by hydrodynamics - and Boussinesq buoyancy forces for systems 
involving heat convection, as well as greater user-friendliness by allowing 
collision and interaction algorithms, fluid compressibility and output file 
formats to be specified in the input files.

The new package is still free to academic users and can be obtained from the 
DL_MESO website at www.ccp5.ac.uk/DL_MESO or via the DL_MESO link on the CCP5 
site (www.ccp5.ac.uk). There you may register for the new version and be 
automatically sent the download instructions.

The future development of DL_MESO is dependent on its users and I would 
encourage users to send any suggestions they may have for new features, new 
subroutines or utilities to add to the DL_MESO codes, simulation example cases 
for LBE or DPD etc. Contributions should be sent to michael.seaton@stfc.ac.uk 
with a description and/or instructions for any input files or program codes/
routines.

I would also encourage users who publish articles using results obtained from 
DL_MESO calculations to cite the package. Work on a citable journal article 
about DL_MESO is currently in progress, but in the meantime please refer to the 
DL_MESO website: www.ccp5.ac.uk/DL_MESO

Michael Seaton
2012-04-11